County Cricket: Triple Hants, 100% Northants

At the end of the Blast’s second week, Northamptonshire are the only county with a 100% record. James Sales’s 5-21 helped sweep aside close rivals Gloucestershire, then last year’s prolific Chris Lynn steered the Steelbacks to a final-over triumph against Warwickshire with an unbeaten 115. Beau Webster had earlier slammed 97 but the Bears have now lost all four fixtures to date. 

In the same Central & West group, Glamorgan did the double over reigning champions Somerset. In Cardiff, Tom Banton got the latter off to a cracking start, but Nathan McAndrew trimmed the strike rate and capture four wickets. Glammy captain Kiran Carlson wasted no time in tearing the bowling apart, racing to 109 as his side romped home with more than six overs remaining. In the return fixture, it was a much closer affair. Chasing 202 to win at Taunton, it was Somerset old boy Sean Dickson who top-scored with 63, but it was Jimmy Neesham who struck the last ball for a boundary to clinch the win. I am not a happy bunny! Somerset need to rediscover winning ways in the derby against Gloucestershire. 

In the South division, Hampshire reeled off a hat-trick of successes. Liam Dawson had a profitable week. His 76 not out was timed to perfection as Surrey were defeated in the last over, and five cheap wickets helped despatch Middlesex and Sussex, although Scottish seamer Sean Currie’s economy also played its part. Surrey’s stellar batting line-up was also flattened by Kent, but on Wednesday they turned things around at home to Middlesex, Ollie Pope making 51 not out. 

Up North, Derbyshire amassed the highest team total of the week. In the East Mids derby, Aneurin Donald (84) and Martin Andersson (69 not out) blitzed the first eight overs on the way to 234-4. With Tom Moores striking seven sixes, Nottinghamshire made a decent fist of a chase, but finished twenty-three runs short. 

Yorkshire top the table, swatting aside Durham by 58 runs (Moeen Ali taking 2-12 in three overs) before losing their unbeaten record in a cross-table fixture at home to Gloucestershire, for whom D’Arcy Short slammed 82 and claimed 4-31. Leicestershire are bottom, despite a thrilling two-wicket success at Old Trafford. Needing only 146 to win, Saqib Mahmood and George Balderson kept Lancashire in the match until a scrambled single sealed the deal. Last man Sol Budinger could not bat after being stretchered off after a fielding collision so it was closer than the scoreboard suggests. 

Team of the Week:-  Carlson (Gla), Lynn (Nor), Lyth (Yor), Short (Glo), Pepper (Ess +), Webster (War), Dawson (Ham), Sales (Nor), Mulder (Ess), Usman Tariq (War), Currie (Ham)

County Cricket: Champions on a Charge

Both the favourites for the 2026 County Championship won this week, leapfrogging Somerset into the top two positions. Reigning champs Nottinghamshire were too strong for Leicestershire, despite Ben Green’s career-best 7-112 and a Stevie Eskinazi century. For Notts, it’s current England international Ben Duckett who steals the headlines, but Joe Clarke and Ben Slater are making the runs. The latter scored 178 and a rapid unbeaten 52, while Olly Stone continued his recovery from a knee injury with handy match figures of 8-109. 

Surrey broke their season’s duck, defeating Sussex by eight wickets. Adam Thomas had a first-class debut to remember, compiling a neat 120 and sharing a stand of 162 with Sean Abbott. Earlier, Dom Sibley had uncharacteristically struck three sixes in an innings of 187 out of a total of 622. That Surrey didn’t win by a greater margin owes much to a late first-innings partnership of 173 involving bowlers Jack Carson and Ollie Robinson, both of whom reached three figures. 

It was a game of two halves at Taunton, where previous leaders Somerset enjoyed the best of the opening exchanges. Lewis Gregory claimed 6-43, then opener Josh Thomas powered his way to a maiden century as their side opened up a 112- run lead. Then things went wrong. Wharton, Root and Richardson carved half-centuries, to set their hosts a final day target of 260 which proved beyond them. Only Thomas, again, passed fifty, as the Tykes’ spinners dominated, led improbably by Joe Root (4-49)! 

Last month, I would have forgiven for Glamorgan’s realistic ambitions to have been avoidance of immediate relegation. However, after this week’s hammering of Hampshire at Southampton, it is the latter who should be nervously testing the trapdoor’s timbers. Glamorgan captain Kira Carlson led from the front, stroking a smooth 209 and being the dominant partner with Zain -ul-Hassan in a triple-century second-wicket alliance. Carlson even took teenage top-scorer Ben Mayes’ wicket with the only ball he bowled in the first innings but it was the consistent Timm van der Gugten and Hampshire old boy Mason Crane who inflicted most of the damage over both Hampshire’s attempts, securing an innings victory. 

This week, Glamorgan welcome Somerset to Cardiff, while the leading pair, Notts and Surrey meet at Trent Bridge. Leicestershire hope to notch their opening triumph at Hove against Sussex. 

Meanwhile, in Division Two, Kent secured their first victory for a year, outscoring Derbyshire by 225 runs. Daniel Bell-Drummond (129) and ‘keeper Chris Benjamin (56 and 123) stamped their authority on the Derby attack, although inexperienced Rory Haydon can hold his head high with a brace of five-fors. However, the best figures were returned by Kent’s Matt Milnes, whose 6-12 ripped the heart out of the second innings, despite the efforts of Luis Reece. 

Another ‘keeper-batsman, Worcestershire’s Garth Roderick slammed a huge score, 164 not out, yet ended up on the losing side at the hands of Northamptonshire. The home side declared on 597-9, with Vasconcelos, Sales and McManus each registering tons of their own. In the second outing, not even Roderick could save Worcester, as Ben Sanderson tore them apart, ending on 7-31. 

Northants sit in the promotion places but Durham remain in the driving seat despite only drawing with Middlesex at Lord’s. Ryan Higgins struck 131 and took four wickets but Durham went about their batting with greater fervour. Both Emilio Gay and David Bedingham achieved centuries and Kasey Aldridge fell one short. They had a day to finish off the home county but, while Ben Raine took three more wickets, Max Holden held firm and steered his side to safety. 

Next up for Durham are Worcestershire, while Northants visit Derby. Lancashire could advance by defeating Middlesex. 

Team of the Week:- Slater (Not), J. Thomas (Som), Carlson (Gla), Bedingham (Dur), Root (Yor), A. Thomas (Sur), Benjamin (Ken +), Raine (Dur), Haydon (Der), Milnes (Ken), Sanderson (Nor)

County Cricket: My Team of 2025

While I must admit that the highlight of the domestic cricket season was the sterling five-Test contest between England and India, the county season threw up a few welcome surprises. Surrey’s stellar squad failed to win anything, last season’s strugglers Nottinghamshire pipped them for the title at the death, my Somerset boys converted white-ball talent into Blast success and Worcestershire combined Championship relegation with victory in the One-Day Cup. Oh, and Jimmy Anderson tried – with mixed results – to reinvent himself as a supreme Twenty20 exponent. The IPL franchises were unimpressed but Lancashire were more obliging.

Now for my annual review of the stand-out performers on the county circuit. The Hundred doesn’t count, obviously. In arriving at my final Eleven, I looked at consistency across formats while prioritising the Championship ahead of the Blast and then the 50-over competition which was bereft of the one-day aces who preferred to spend their August earning larger salaries in The Hundred. 

Openers 

Ben Compton’s 1,386 runs at an average of 60 were the rare jewels in Kent’s miserable summer. Talking of which, Derbyshire’s Caleb Jewell was the top scorer across all three county competitions. He made only one of my Teams of the Week but accumulated his runs efficiently and consistemtly. Dom Sibley and Haseeb Hameed may have been discarded by Engand selectors years ago, but they were the outstanding openers in Division One. Sibley reached a triple-century out of a massive 820-9 against Durham but in the same match, Alex Lees scored a ton in each innings. Lees just failed to notch 1,000 runs in the four-dayers but had a fruitful T20 campaign. Tom Banton astonished everyone by cracking 371 against Worcestershire at the start of April but couldn’t maintain that throughout Somerset’s season.

Middle Order

Old favourites Wayne Madsen and Colin Ingram showed no signs of slowing down. The 41-year-old Derbyshire stalwart averaged 57 in Division Two adding 431 in the short stuff. Ingram’s Glamorgan colleague Kiran Carlson had an excellent 2024 but was even better this year, especially as the county achieved its first promotion in yonks. Northamptonshire had a rotten time, but nobody scored more Championship runs than their 27-year-old left-hander, Saif Zaib. Max Holden had a few golden moments for Middlesex, James Coles of Sussex made plenty of runs, as did Essex’s Tom Westley, while Hampshire’s Toby Albert topped the batting charts in the Blast, and his counterpart Nick Gubbins did the same in the One-Day Cup. However, my next member of the team of 2025 is Jack Haynes of county champs Notts. He struck four first-class hundreds and boasted a healthy strike rate in one-day cricket, too. 

All Rounders 

Ryan Higgins and Liam Dawson weren’t quite up to their traditional levels but there was no shortage of quality batting all-rounders on the circuit. Notitnghamshire’s Lyndon James included a double-century in his 2025 CV while Tom Lammonby of Somerset saved his best performances for when they really mattered. Lewis Gregory continued to deserve Somerset fans’ adoration, particularly when he whacked the winning six in the Blast final. Ben Kellaway and Rehan Ahmed added considerable runs to their customary spin bowling, and young Ethan Brookes of Worcestershire looked a useful player in both red and white-ball formats. However, my pick is Warwickshire’s Ed Barnard, mostly for his runs in a year when Hain, Davies and Yates didn’t often deliver.

Wicket-Keeper 

Lewis McManus claimed more victims (20 than anyone else in the Blast, while Garth Roderick topped the charts in the Championship, but their batting wasn’t quite up to scratch. James Rew of Somerset looked back to his best and even enjoyed some useful middle-order partnerships with younger brother Thomas. However, like last year, the wicketkeeping slot comes down to a fight between James Bracey (Gloucs) and John Simpson (Sussex). A third of Bracey’s runs came in the One-Day Cup but the South Coast skipper contributed everywhere, excelling in first-class cricket, both with gloves and willow, averaging 60 in his side’s push for fourth place.

Bowlers

Five men took at least fifty Championship wickets, and three of them make my XI. It wasn’t an easy decision. Ben Sanderson (Northants) and Riley Meredith (Somerset) were the most prolific in T20, Ben Allison (Worcs) in the One-Day Cup, while Ben Green (Leics) picked them up in all three competitions.

The evergreen Kyle Abbott ended the Championship season with almost identical figures to those of 2024 and is an automatic selection. Ben Raine’s seam bowling bailed Durham out of a few holes, also contributing useful lower-order runs. George Hill (Yorks) and Luis Reece (Derbys) achieved the half-century with eye-catching sub-20 averages. Spin wasn’t really to the fore this summer. Even Simon Harmer struggled so, for a second consecutive year, I am delighted to induct Somerset’s Jack Leach into the 2025 Eleven. He rarely featured in limited-overs but in the long-form the ex-England left-armer worked hard all season. Surprise bowler of the season must be Tom Taylor. Before April was out, Worcestershire looked doomed, but the 30-year-old plugged away throughout. Nobody took more wickets – 78 in total, including fifteen in the Blast. 

Like the whole country, players and fans alike, I have no idea what the hell is happening to county cricket next year. However, here is my hotly-awaited County XI of 2025;- 

Jewell (Der), Lees (Dur), Haynes (Not), Carlson (Gla), Barnard (War), Zaib (Nor), Simpson (Sus +), Abbott (Ham), Raine (Dur), Taylor (Wor), Leach (Som)

Just missed out: Brookes (Wor), Madsen (Der), Bracey (Glo +), B Green (Lei)

County Cricket: Gloucester Gallop but Rhodes Makes One-Day Hay

The 2025 Royal London One-Day Cup launched this week without the Hundred’s hullabaloo but threw the spotlight on some of the less lauded counties and individuals more often seen plying their trade in the Seconds. 

With few players lost to the more lucrative competition, Gloucestershire would be expected to thrive in the 50-over cup and they duly won all three opening fixtures, racking up plenty of runs in the process. They swept aside Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Surrey, the latter fielding a host of unknowns and little-knowns. Ben Charlesworth, Oliver Price and James Taylor enjoyed their time at the crease, and James Bracey was one of several wicketkeepers to shine during the past week and a half. 

Welbeck CC’s ground at Sookholme played host to Nottinghamshire’s home fixtures, including a high-scoring tie with Worcestershire. Tom Moores thrashed 140 off 93 balls, following it up with a golden duck! Jake Libby and Kashif Ali each reached three figures in the nailbiting Notts defeat. Somerset’s Rew brothers enjoyed a couple of big partnerships but failed in a two-wicket surrender to Lancashire. 

Somerset’s victims included Durham, who nonetheless had easy wins over Sussex and Kent. In the first match, Ollie Robinson claimed the rare distinction of making a hundred and taking six catches. Yet even his performance was eclipsed by team-mate Will Rhodes who ended the week as both the tournament’s highest run-scorer and wicket-taker. In that same Sussex encounter, he fashioned 96 then took 5-30 with his seamers. 

The highest score of the week was Imam ul-Haq’s 159 in Yorkshire’s 202-run massacre of Northants. The county are the only one in Group B with two wins from two, which also owed much to young Ben Cliff’s seven wickets, including 5-46 at Northampton. Other five-fors were achieved by the likes of Alfie Ogborne (Somerset) and Leicestershire’s teenage quick, Alex Green, who took five not once but twice in his two games. 

I should also mention a couple of players who excelled in a losing cause. Essex suffered a run of three defeats despite Tom Westley’s sterling efforts with bat and ball. At Neath, Glamorgan’s only completed match was notable for two substantial individual innings. Hampshire’s skipper Nick Gubbins stroked an unbeaten 144, before his opposite number Kiran Carlson reacted to the steady fall of wickets at the other end (all caught) by lashing ten sixes in a 92-ball 135. The home side’s innings lasted only five balls later, still 72 adrift. 

The next batch of fixtures includes the Roses tie at York, Glamorgan’s trip over the Severn Bridge to Gloucestershire, whose position atop Group A will be matched by Hampshire should they overcome Worcestershire and Leicestershire. In Group B, the Yorkshire-Somerset clash could be critical, but Lancashire need to make up for lost time and their Sedburgh washout with a successful South Coast jaunt to Sussex and Kent. 

Team of the Week:- Imam ul-Huq (Yor), Bracey (Glo +), Libby (Wor), Rhodes (Dur), Carlson (Gla), Kashif Ali (Wor), Westley (Ess), Ogborne (Som), Zaman Akhtar (Glo), A Green (Lei), Cliff (Yor)

County Cricket: Somerset are Abell but Surrey seem the more willing

Just over ten years ago my blog celebrated the 501-run partnership involving Alviro Petersen and Ashwell Prince in Lancashire’s Championship fixture at Colwyn Bay. There was nothing quite as massive this week, but one of Ian Botham’s records was eclipsed when James Rew and Tom Abell put on a new Somerset fourth-wicket record of 313 at Trent Bridge. All the more remarkable was the fact it followed a devastating opening spell by Muhammad Abbas, and the second-best stand was just 41. It counted for little, because Haseeb Hameed’s 208 anchored a superior Nottinghamshire reply which pretty much guaranteed the draw. 

The stalemate also played into Surrey’s hands. The leaders extended the gap over their nearest rivals to nine points courtesy of a five-wicket defeat of Durham at Chester-le-Street, where runs proved harder to come by. There were no centuries although Emilio Gay was dismissed one short. Ben Raine and Sai Kishore went home with five-fors, but the champs took the sixteen points for the win. 

Yorkshire stole the seaside show at Scarborough, thumping Sussex by an innings and leaping out of the relegation spots. Tons from Lyth and, for the second game in succession, Matt Revis, elevated the home side’s total to an unassailable 545-9 declared. Sussex were always struggling to save the game and, despite dogged late resistance by Hudson-Prentice and Carson, the experienced seamer Matt Milnes sealed the triumph with figures of 5-31. 

Warwickshire are only a point behind Somerset despite a run-heavy draw against Essex at Chelmsford. The hosts dominated the first few days, as Tom Westley, Charlie Allison and Michael Pepper all reached three figures. The Midlanders made a decent fist of their response, led by Ed Barnard and Ethan Bamber’s maiden hundred in his 72^nd first-class match. 

Not for the first time this season, Worcestershire were frustrated on the final afternoon when in sight of a much-needed success. Hampshire set them a challenging target of 358 on the final afternoon and, to skipper D’Oliveira’s credit, they accepted the gauntlet with no little enterprise. Jake Libby carried his bat for a round 100 in the first innings and reached 106 in the second before being bowled by Fuller. The run rate continued at more than six an over, but wickets fell regularly and, at 303-8, time was called with neither side quite doing enough. 

In Division Two, the combination of inclement weather and dominant batsmen prevented a result in three of the four fixtures. The exception occurred at Old Trafford, where Glamorgan cemented their second place by beating Lancashire by 154 runs. Chris Green (6-83) had limited the Welsh county to 261 on day one, but Mason Crane’s six-wicket blitz left Lancashire 124 adrift. Centuries by Kiran Carlson and Sam Northeast consolidated the lead and, despite Luke Wells’ 102, the Red Roses fell way short of the 473 target. 

Leicestershire are still comfortably clear of the rest following a tame draw at Canterbury. Rehan Ahmed scored another century and Tom Scriven’s unlikely 99 advanced the total to 471. However, day three was almost totally washed out, so Kent’s Ben Compton batted virtually to the end, amassing 221. Ahmed was the most successful of the ten bowlers used by ‘keeper-captain Handscomb, who kept his gloves on throughout! 

Northamptonshire had Derbyshire on the back foot for the final few days, courtesy of a 208-run seventh-wicket stand shared by Justin Broad and Rob Keogh. On the fourth day, only rain and Luis Reece’s defiance saved Derby’s bacon. The Cheltenham crowd had little to relish either, especially thse who turned up on Thursday with hope and well-used umbrellas. At least there were excellent innings from the bats of Middlesex’s Kane Williamson (153) and Gloucestershire’s 21-year-old Joe Phillips (136). 

Now comes the interminable hiatus for The Hundred and the neutered Metro One-Day Cup. As ever, I’ll be focussing on the latter, which opens the door for the less-lauded white-ballers to show what they’re made of in fifty-over competition. Glamorgan handed Somerset their traditional runners-up medals last season and must be in with a decent shout this summer, too. 

Team of the Week:- Hameed (Not), Libby (Wor), B Compton (Ken), Westley (Ess), Abell (Som), Carlson (Gla), Rew (Som +), Revis (Yor), Crane (Gla), Milnes (Yor), T Taylor (Wor)

County Cricket: Bears Sharpen their Claws for Final Eight

The final week of Vitality Blast group fixtures was a fine advert for the chaotic and unpredictable Twenty20 format. With quarter-final places up for grabs, few counties enjoyed a clean sweep, but the Birmingham Bears and Surrey ensured progress with early victories against Derbyshire and Essex, respectively. 

Despite losing to Northamptonshire, the Bears sealed first place in the North thanks largely to Moeen Ali. His previous golden duck was forgotten as the opener reeled back the years at Edgbaston to slam nine sixes against Leicestershire in an innings of 103. That also ended the visitors’ hopes of qualification, the fourth spot snapped up by Durham courtesy of an eight-wicket drubbing of Derbyshire. 

Also on Friday, Northants met Lancashire at Old Trafford to determine which of them secured home advantage in the knockouts. New recruit George Dockrell was the surprise top-scorer as the home team racked up a formidable 201-9, but a searing 76 from Matthew Breetzke set Northants on their way to a four-wicket win to cap an all-conquering conclusion to the groups. 

A special mention to Northants ‘keeper, Lewis Mc Manus. He wasn’t the most prolific batsman of the week but, in an eight-over thrash at Chester-le-Street, he won the game by striking the only two deliveries he faced for six. That’s what I call decisive! 

Worcestershire were never really in the hunt, and lost their last two games, both right at the death. Yorkshire pipped them with three balls remaining, while Derbyshire duo Whitely and Thomson struck seventeen from Tom Taylor’s concluding over, including a scrambled single from the very last delivery. 

Reigning champions Somerset recovered some composure to roll over both Hampshire and second-place rivals Sussex, the latter with the aid of Ben Green’s 4-17. However, a home quarter-final was denied them on Friday by a barnstorming Glamorgan performance at Cardiff. Captain Kiran Carlson blitzed the county’s highest individual score, 135, more than a century of them in boundaries. Somerset proceeded to be skittled for a paltry 123 as Marnus Labuschagne, of all people, captured the final five wickets. Five days earlier, Glamorgan had been on the receiving end of a similar massacre. A Cheltenham Sunday crowd watched Jack Taylor whack an unbeaten 80 from 35 balls out if a total of 206-6, followed by a top-class bowling attack. The ever-reliable left-arm seam of David Payne starred with 3-7 from three overs. 

Elsewhere, there were centuries by Surrey’s Sam Curran against Hampshire and Michael Pepper’s 120 not out for Essex against Sussex. Pepper is the third-highest run-maker so far but his total won’t be added to. Gloucestershire’s defeat of Middlesex and Essex’s loss to Hampshire handed Jack Taylor’s outfit the fourth slot in the quarters, and a daunting trip to Edgbaston, whose spinner Danny Briggs and batsman Sam Hain were amongst the tournament’s group stage stars. 

But that’s six weeks away. In the mean-time, the school holidays will host the Hundred and Metro One Day Cup, which begin next week. As usual, I shall putr my feet up, ignore the franchise competition and focus on the county contest. 

Team of the Week:- Moeen Ali (Bir), Carlson (Gla), Hughes (Sus), Pepper (Ess), Hain (Bir), Labuschagne (Gla), McManus (Nor +), Briggs (Bir), P Brown (Der), Robinson (Sus), Payne (Glo)

Lawes in Fine order for Surrey

The Oval faithful were rewarded with a second successive home success for Surrey, extending their lead in Division One to twenty-five points. This week it was Kent who were rolled over, by ten wickets. They bat all the way down and have no star bowlers, yet get the job done. The 20-year-old paceman Tom Lawes picked up eight wickets, including a decisive 5-22 in the second innings. The two counties meet in their next Championship fixture, too, but Kent have three weeks to get their act together. 

Hampshire picked up win number three, crushing Northamptonshire at the Rose Bowl, assisted by Liam Dawson’s 6-61. I was pleasantly surprised by Somerset’s maiden victory of 2023, a smash-and-grab raid at Lord’s. Yet again, Middlesex failed to secure a batting bonus point, while Somerset’s George Bartlett, another off the Millfield School production line, contributed 121 out of 404, and Craig Overton finished things off with a long-overdue five-for. 

There were plenty of runs at Trent Bridge but neither side could take the requisite twenty wickets. Cook and Westley shared two century partnerships for Essex but the sole individual centurion was Nottinghamshire’s young Matthew Montgomery, who compiled an assured 177. 

In Division Two, Durham are staking a clear claim on promotion, defeating Gloucestershire at Bristol by 125 runs. A Michael Jones ton and a whirlwind 67 from Ollie Robinson helped set the home team an improbable 425 target but a second consecutive five-wicket haul for spinner Ajaz Patel and Matthew Potts’ 3-53 negated Marcus Harris carrying his bat for 122. Just up the M5, Worcestershire overcame Leicestershire courtesy of excellent owlig by Leach and Waite.

Last year, Glamorgan broke all sorts of run records at Grace Road and another, rather extraordinary one, was achieved at Hove. England’s Ollie Robinson took 4-29, then Steve Smith and James Coles led a strong response to secure a massive first-innings lead. Then things changed….. In that remarkable 795-5 in 2022, Sam Northeast topped 400, but this week he was out first ball! No problem. Captain Kiran Carlson’s career-best 192 and centuries from Aussies Labuschagne and Neser as the total soared beyond 700 once more. A declaration was hardly a serious option and Glamorgan posted a world record difference between their first and second innings of 614 runs! To add to Sussex woes, Robinson suffered an ankle injury which may also put a spanner in the works for the Ashes squad. 

But that’s several weeks away. For now, we have to make do with some T20 Blast action. Who will win this year? Not a clue. Do I care? Not a bit.

Team of the Week:- Harris (Glo), Cook (Ess), Montgomery (Not), Bartlett (Som), Carlson (Gla), Robinson (Dur +), Coles (Sus), Leach (Wor), Arjaz Patel (Dur), Waite (Wor), Lawes (Sur)

County Cricket Stars of 2021

First of all, I have to say it was great to see a full cricket season again, even if the ongoing pandemic entailed crowd restrictions early on. It was probably too full, thanks to the ECB’s insistence in launching their pointless, ego-boosting city franchise format The Hundred to create a chaotic summer of four domestic competitions, plus England’s various international commitments. 

The Hundred was considered a huge success – by those financially or politically involved in it, probably because the BBC was allowed to broadcast some matches live, automatically boosting TV ratings which would have languished in the mere tens of thousands on the usual Sky channels surrounded by Extreme Tiddlywinks and World Husky Racing. Who won The Hundred? I don’t care. I believe the Pom Bears won the Men’s version and KP Nuts the women. My only regret about ignoring the new summer holiday tourney is that I neglected the women’s cricket at a time when it enjoyed the rare privilege of taking equal billing, and money, which is huge progress. 

So what else happened? There was Devon Conway’s 200 on debut for New Zealand, Joe Root’s prolific scoring against India, for whom they sported a rare world-class seam attack, and then that dreadfully disappointing cancellation/postponement of the Test series decider in case it interfered with IPL commitments – sorry, I meant to write ‘because of a few positive Covid cases in the visitors’ squad’. 

On the domestic scene, Somerset were utterly dominant in the first phase of the County Championship, then completely useless for the September climax. Warwickshire nicked it on the very last day. Kent won the T20 Blast, leaving Somerset with a customary runner-up badge, while Glamorgan somehow fielded a balanced side capable of capturing the One-Day Cup. It was missing many established stars raking in the Hundred cash but did introduce me to a raft of new names, including Tim David (Surrey), Feroze Khushi (Essex), Joe Cooke (Glamorgan’s top wicket-taker) and Lancashire’s Jack Morley, who could well break into the big time next season. 

So who makes my end-of-season County Team of the Year? As ever it spans all three county formats so probably wouldn’t be a world-beater in any one of them. Apart from one or two shoo-ins, I found it harder than usual. However, based on the stats and appearances in my weekly XIs, here are my selections. 

Openers:

Sussex’s Tom Haines was the top scorer with the red ball, while Warwickshire’s Rob Yates finished the season strongly. Mark Stoneman struggled with Surrey but, after crossing the Thames to Middlesex and making a ‘pair’ on his debut, he rediscovered some first-class form. Alex Lees and Graham Clark were prolific together in the Royal London Cup and Haseeb Hameed showed enough in a couple of Nottinghamshire games to earn an unexpected England recall. However, I’ve plumped for Worcestershire’s Jake Libby, also my choice in 2020, who aggregated more runs (1,629) than anybody, and Northamptonshire’s Ricardo Vasconselos who showed commendable consistency with red and white balls and can also keep wicket if required. 

Middle-order:

Like Stoneman, Hashim Amla suffered a few ducks but when he reached three figures he tended to go big. Another Surrey player, Ollie Pope also seemed to relish batting at The Oval, striking two double-hundreds. His 274 against Glamorgan in the season finale was the highest Championship innings of 2021 but even I might have hung around (for 0) on that batsman’s paradise! Ben Brown of Sussex batted well without the responsibility of keeping wicket, while Lancashire’s Josh Bohannon averaged over 50 and both Essex skipper Tom Westley and the ever-dependable Sam Hain also came into the equation. David Bedingham was a new name to me but the 27 year-old South African made a huge impact for Durham. As well as passing 1000 Championship runs at more than 60, his 50-over strike rate was a massive 140. Lewis Hill had what must have been his best season yet for Leicestershire and young Cardiffian Kiran Carlson showed his more senior colleagues how to make runs on sometimes difficult wickets. 

All-Rounders:

Aged 25, Worcestershire’s Ed Barnard has already taken more than 200 first-class wickets but in 2021 he seemed to transform into a batting, not bowling all-rounder, averaging 50 and 42, respectively. It wouldn’t be an annual review without mentioning Darren Stevens. Even at 45, he snared 39 Championship wickets at only 18.58 while two explosive innings for Kent made the headlines. His semi-final blitz was instrumental in the Spitfires going on to win the T20 Blast and in May he smashed 15 sixes and 15 fours out of 190 in a rain-hit game against Glamorgan. This was very nearly more than anyone else managed in the same match – combined! Nevertheless I have plumped for Derbyshire’s Matt Critchley. As a leg-spinner he ought to be a valuable T20 performer but 2021 was his breakthrough season with a bat. He passed fifty nine times and was one of only five players to reach the 1,000-run milestone in the Championship. 

Wicket-keeper:

Lots of candidates for this one, and it was too close to call. Ollie Robinson, Harry Swindells, James Bracey (now an improbable England international), John Simpson, the very inconsistent Glamorgan batsman and skipper Chris Cooke and Notts gloveman Tom Moores all pushed hard but Michael Burgess  of champions Warwickshire edged it for his ability in all three formats. 

Bowlers:- 

Before England came a-calling, Craig Overton and Ollie Robinson were in fine fettle. Redoubtable fellow seamers Chris Rushworth and 40 year-olds Tim Murtagh and Michael Hogan continued to serve their counties with distinction. Even in the RL Cup, the latter conceded fewer than three an over, strangling the opposition on Glamorgan’s march towards success. Tom Bailey carried much of the Lancashire attack while South African Dane Paterson also claimed more than 50 first-class wickets at under 20 apiece. Sam Cook finished very strongly for Essex, his 10-41 aggregate against Northants leaving his season average below 15. Jimmy Anderson took 7-19 in a rare outing for Lancashire and Liam Norwell took his opportunities well as Warwickshire closed in on the title but it was Nottinghamshire’s giant Luke Fletcher who easily topped the Championship wicket table with 66. He was on fire in May.

The Parkinson spin twins enjoyed solid summers, Leicestershire’s Callum beating Matt in the wicket department, but yet again it was Essex’s Simon Harmer who was the domestic game’s outstanding versatile bowler. He was amongst the most prolific in all three competitions, totalling 90. His career tally is now pushing 900 and who would bet against him passing the 1000 mark by the close of 2022? 

To summarise, my County Eleven of 2021 is as follows:- 

Libby (Wor), Vasconselos (Nor), Bedingham (Dur), Hill (Lei), Carlson (Gla), Critchley (Der), Burgess (War), Harmer (Ess), Fletcher (Not), S Cook (Ess), Rushworth. 12^th man: Stevens (Ken)

Glamorgan triumph at last

Congratulations to Glamorgan for winning their first silverware for 17 years and their first ever one-day final. Having tipped Surrey or Essex to win last week, it was probably inevitable that neither would make the Trent Bridge Royal London One-Day Cup showpiece. 

At least they did win their respective quarter-finals with ease. Essex made short work of Yorkshire, with 20 year-old Josh Rymell demonstrating his potential as an opener scoring 121 and Simon Harmer showing what we already knew with a 13-ball 31 not out and two cheap wickets. Tim David smashed another century for Surrey as Gloucestershire‘s attack suffered. 

A few days later, it was Surrey’s turn to lose by five wickets. In what looks set to be his final innings for the county before crossing the Thames to Middlesex, Mark Stoneman at last found some form, striking a fine century, but Chris Rushworth’s three quick wickets and that solid top order saw Durham over the line and into the final. 

Glamorgan beat Essex by the same margin at Cardiff. Following an excellent start by Hamish Rutherford, Nigel Selman also passed fifty, but it was Joe Cooke’s all-round contribution of 66 not out and five wickets which took the game away from Essex. 

And so to Nottingham, where Glamorgan set Durham a challenging target of 298. Captain Kiran Carlson had endured a difficult tournament but came good when it mattered, firing 82 from 59 balls and leading the side with aplomb. In reply, Durham never settled to any rhythm, but that’s 40 year-old Michael Hogan’s forte. It’s quite remarkable for a seamer to end a limited-overs competition with an economy rate below 3 an over but that’s what he achieved. 

It’s a crying shame that our once premier one-day contest was downgraded to little more than a run-out for the reserves while the big names raked it in before large crowds at The Hundred. However, it was a chance for youngsters like Rymell, Khushi, Jamie Smith (Surrey’s skipper at 21!) and Lenham, plus little–known second-eleveners such as David, Clark and Haines to demonstrate their qualities. Old heads including Hogan, Sir Alastair Cook, Steve Borthwick and Chris Rushworth also proved that they can excel in white ball cricket as well as red. I do hope we haven’t seen the last of domestic 50-over matches but fear the worst next year. 

Team of the Week: Rymell (Ess), Stoneman (Sur), David (Sur), Carlson (Gla), Bancroft (Dur +), J Smith (Sur), J Cooke (Gla), Harmer (Ess), Salter (Gla), Hogan (Gla), Rushworth (Dur)